Since COVID testing in the Valley began, there have been almost 7,000 swabs performed locally.
An initial assessment centre was set up at the Drumheller Health Centre on April 27 of this year. As of December 6, Melissa Ballantyne, communications for Alberta Health Services (AHS), says there have been 6,676 swabs performed.
“COVID-19 testing is available to all Albertans with symptoms, close contacts of confirmed cases, and those linked to an outbreak. Testing is by appointment only; there are no drop-in services. It remains important to follow all public health measures including; using a mask, washing or sanitizing your hands often, physical distancing, and limiting your cohort to limit the spread of COVID-19,” she stated in an email.
In October the assessment centre was moved to a new location on Highway 10.
“The safety of our staff and volunteers at assessment sites, as well as the safety of patients accessing swabbing, continues to be our priority. As such, we made changes at our drive-through locations in order to provide protection from cold weather exposure. In October, we relocated several of our drive-through locations across the zone to indoor locations,” stated the release.
The new indoor locations, along with the recruitment of more staff, have allowed the centre to increase its testing capacity. The highest number of daily swabs completed was 177 on November 26.
As of December 7, there are 23 active cases of COVID-19 and 96 recovered. There have been two deaths.
